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The BEST Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
I received no measurements but I am pretty used to that. Big Mama cooks and bakes through instinct and has perfected that art. I, however, am a bit more calculated with my process in the kitchen. I am creative and zany with my ideas but just need a bit more structure.
Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients
So I worked on this vanilla ice cream recipe and tried figuring out ratios that would work. And I think I came pretty close. Here are the ingredients that make this recipe super special:
- Egg Yolks and Eggs
- Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Half and Half
- Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Paste
- Flour
You will notice the large amount of eggs and egg yolks are in this recipe. It makes the custard incredibly scoopable when placed in the freezer for long periods of time. It also makes the custard super indulgent when combined with granulated sugar.
The creaminess of the recipe definitely comes from the addition of both heavy cream and half and half. It makes the custard so rich.
To really punch up the vanilla flavor, I added vanilla bean paste to the original vanilla ice cream recipe to really punch up the vanilla flavor in addition to the vanilla extract. Vanilla extract can sometimes be subtle but the vanilla paste conveniently adds flecks throughout without having to scrape vanilla beans. I love see the flecks of vanilla bean throughout the ice cream, too.
Finally, Big Mama added flour to her vanilla ice cream recipe. She added just a bit to thicken it. It ended up being something super genius that I’ve never seen before.
The only thing that was missing from this vanilla ice cream was Big Mama’s love so I added a heaping tablespoon of that for good measure.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
This recipe begins with developing a warm custard over the stove. If you have never tried a custard based ice cream, you will love it. While it takes a bit more time, the results are incredibly creamy and silky.
Adding a hot milk mixture to eggs can be difficult so you must make sure you temper!
Tip 1: You will drip in the hot milk mixture in slow increments and whisk vigorously. You must do this so that the eggs don’t scramble.
After the custard is ready, you will need to cool it. This is a step that most people miss. I have seen all types of mistakes.
Tip 2: Cool Your Custard Completely!
It will need to be completely cold in order to go into your ice cream maker and freeze correctly. If not, you will be making ice cream soup.
This ice cream is definitely one of my favorites. The flavors are completely pure. If you love this one, you will absolutely love my strawberry ice cream as well since it is a variation of this. My Berry Ripple Ice Cream is similar too with just a punch of berry flavor.
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What To Serve with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- There is nothing like a piece of my Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe along with a scoop of this.
- This Cherries Jubilee is fantastic over vanilla ice cream.
- Speaking of peaches, this Caramel Peach Dump Cake is amazing with this ice cream too.
- If you love chocolate and vanilla, this coca cola cake is incredible!
- A scoop of this over warm my Pineapple Upside Down Cake is also a good move.
- And of course there is nothing like ice cream and pound cake. My cream cheese pound cake is definitely the one to make.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker Machine
Ingredients
- 3 large large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vanilla paste
Instructions
- Beat eggs and egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Next add sugar to the bowl and whisk together.
- Add heavy cream and half and half to a large saucepan and heat gently; do not let come to a boil.
- Temper eggs by slowly pour 1 cup of hot heavy cream mixture into egg mixture while whisking quickly. This will raise the temperature of the eggs carefully without scrambling them. Then while stirring, pour the tempered egg mixture slowly into the remaining heavy cream mixture in the saucepan.
- Gently heat ice cream base over medium low heat, stirring constantly (especially the corners of the pot), until thickened and reaches 170F on a digital thermometer. The mixture should look silky and coat the back of a spoon so when you run your finger through it, it doesn’t come back together.
- Remove from heat and flour and vanilla.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any cooked egg pieces) and chill in an ice bath (a bowl set inside of a bowl of ice water) until it’s cooled to room temperature. Then cover with plastic wrap and move into the refrigerator until completely cold, about 2-3 hours.
- Once completely cooled, add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions and freeze.
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grandbaby! of all the food that you had from your grandmother ,what was your all time FAVERITE!!
Definitely my big mama’s peach cobbler!
We’re having a family cookout mid July and I’m in charge of bread and most importantly desserts. My mom made tutti fruitee (fruit cocktail) in a vanilla base. A crank ice cream maker was used. Could you provide me with ingredient amounts of your recipe for this amount to be used? My sister requested I make the ice cream. I know my mom used some canned milk in her ice cream base. But I want to use your recipe. Never really liked my mom’s tutti fruitee ice cream. So I can make it better with a custard base. Can’t wait to try it. Promise I won’t secretly spit out the fruit cocktail pieces!!
Hi Sha, I have not made this recipe with a hand crank ice cream maker. You can find all the ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the post though, right above the comments. I hope everyone enjoys!
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!! We’ve made this with our girls and have enjoyed the process and the result. This recipe has become a staple in our house each week with dessert. Thank you for sharing your talents!!!!
I’m not sure if this is still a viable site, however, I’m taking the chance that it is.
I love homemade ice cream and have tried several variations to get a good base. Lately, I have resorted to a custard base, blending the sugar/egg mixture with milk mixture, cooking until thickened. I was a little skeptical with this recipe when there were no instructions to cook, but, I too had a “Big Momma”. In addition, I have never seen or made a recipe that added flour and the vanilla prior to freezing. To make this post the best it can be, my ice cream from before has always been icy and/or ver hard after freezing….to the point of not being able to scoop it…NOT THIS ONE!!! WHAT A DELIGHT!!! It is perfect in texture and oh so very good. I stumbled on this site looking for a fresh strawberry pound cake recipe. I found it as well as this recipe for the best homemade ice cream ever. I won’t say I’ll never buy ice cream again, but why when you can easily make it!! THANK YOU for sharing…!!,
I made this ice cream, it I use one can of pet milk in place of some of the half and half and it came out great.My mother use to use pet milk back in the day.
What is an alternative to vanilla paste and will recipe be ok in my Ice cream maker? Perfect timing for bday social at work tomorrow!!❤️
You can use just more vanilla extract.
Oh my, this looks so yummy! You know I was sold as soon as I saw it was a Big Mama recipe. 🙂 And on peach pie to boot… Definitely gonna make this when I get back from vacation.
Hooray yet both together are magic!